Vanilla Slice

There are some people out there who are vanilla slice connoisseurs and are searching for the perfect vanilla slice. Check out the Vanilla Slice Blog if you want to join the crusade. I am very partial to a good vanilla slice and will always get one when I see it. After always fearing that they are really hard to make, after seeing Maggie Beer make one on The Cook and The Chef, I decided to give one a go myself. The recipe I chose was the one that looked the simplest. It's from the Women's Weekly Bake book and I've adapted it slightly.

As it turns out, the vanilla slice is so easy to make. And the all important taste. Well, like I said, I'm not connoisseur but I loved it more than 95% of the vanilla slices I have bought. The exception is the vanilla slices from Sorrento. It could be due to the fact that the ones I make myself have not been sitting on a shelf for days, or it's just that I made them so I'm biased. Whatever the case, they're great and I've made them a few more times since. One batch of this recipe only makes a small amount. I recommend you make a triple batch as I do each time. This will fill up a large square brownie tin of about 25cm x 35cm. They disappear so quickly that I assure you they won't go stale sitting on the bench.



Vanilla Passionfruit Slice
Adapted from Women's Weekly Bake book

INGREDIENTS
2 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry, thawed
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup cornflour
1 1/2 tbsp custard powder
1 1/4 cup milk (330ml)
30g butter
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Passionfruit Icing
3/4 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp passionfruit pulp
1 tsp water, approx

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 220C. Grease 8cm x 26cm bar cake pan. Line with foil extending over edges.

2. Place one sheet of pastry on a tray each and bake for 15 minutes or until puffed. Take out of oven and flatten pastry with a tea towel over them.

3. Combine sugar, cornflour and custar powder in medium saucepan. Gradually stir in milk. When all the milk is stirred in, put over high heat and keep stirring until mixture thickens. When it has thickened, turn down heat to medium and stir for a further 3 minutes to remove the floury taste and continue thickening the custard.

4. Remove pan from heat and stir in butter, egg yolk and extract.

4. Place one piece of pastry into pan. Pour over hot custard and spread evenly. Place other piece of pastry over custard. cool to room temperature.

5. To make passionfruit icing, sift icing sugar into heatproof bowl. Stir in passionfruit pulp and enough water to make a paste. Stir over small saucepan of simmering water until icing is spreadable.

6. Spread icing over pastry. Set at room temperature and refrigerate 3 hours in fridge before cutting.